Midnight Cereal
by ayafangirl
Summary: Just a fluffy oneshot of father and son, Mento and B.B. thing from when the green machine was part of the Doom Patrol Please R
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Titans! Waaaah! Why??

This is just a fluffy oneshot of like, what, maybe... I'm saying 9-year-old B.B. and Mento. He's stubborn, but not such a mean person. And I know mean people. (What?)

It was midnight…or close to it. The night was still and silent. The large mansion owned by the Doom Patrol was as quiet as the black sky overhead, spotted with diamond-like stars. The only sound came from down in the basement where the large computer base was located. There was the faint tapping of fingers on a keyboard.

Mento yawned, exhausted out of his right mind. He had been on the computer for the entire day. And the entire day before that. The last they had seen of the Brotherhood of evil was Phobia. She had unsuccessfully tried to kidnap some scientist up north, but the details weren't important at all. What mattered was simple: what was the rest of the Brotherhood up to? Why had they been laying low? The possibilities were endless, and they were making Mento's head spin.

He drooped down, leaning over his work. Exhaust was making him dizzy. Without meaning to, he allowed his mind to wander to a night similar to this one. Only it had happened several years earlier…

_12 straight hours of research hadn't given Mento any leads onto who could be behind this series of crimes. It was dark out now. How many hours ago had the rest of his team gone to bed? He leaned forward again, submerging further into his research. Ok, not much was going on within a 2,000-mile radius. That much he was sure of. He typed a website, password and then shortcut password. A top-secret link popped up. Very few human beings knew of the existence of this site. It should hold something he had overlooked._

_Ah-ha! There was a coded message in a document! If he could print it out, Robotman could scan it with him in the morning! To print information off of the site he had accessed, Mento needed to insert a data chip into the printer. That data was…upstairs in a safe._

_"Damn it." He murmured. Tiredly, he rose from his chair. He stumbled weakly. He hadn't slept over 4 hours in the last two and a half days. The last thing he had eaten was coffee that morning… that could count as breakfast. He knew he shouldn't feel so tired and miserable right now. It was just plain pathetic. Tightly gripping the rail, he climbed the stairs and made his way down the hall. He paused briefly to close his ice-blue eyes. Feeling like he could fall asleep right there, he snapped his head up and continued. Passing another hallway, he walked by a small figure._

_"Hey, Mento, sir."_

_"Hey, Beast Boy."_

_He continued to walk, then stopped dead in his tracks. What the--? He turned. Sure enough, the smallest member of his team was happily walking back to his own room, carrying something._

_"Beast Boy? What are you doing?" he asked._

_The child turned, smiling. His mask was off, revealing his green hair, a few shades darker than his skin. In his hands was a bowl. "Oh, I was just going back to my room. You see, sir, I couldn't sleep. So, whenever I can't sleep, I just get cereal to eat and go back to bed. Is that what you were doing too?"_

_There was innocence in the question, despite the strange explanation. "No…" he answered slowly. "I was working on something. Why couldn't you sleep?"_

_"I don't know. I just couldn't I like cereal at nighttime though. It's with soy milk, see?" he offered the bowl for his father figure to see._

_"Uh-huh. Why cereal? And at this hour?"_

_Beast Boy smiled sheepishly. "'Cause it's all I can make by myself." He perked up. "Hey! Do you want some? I can make it for you."_

_Mento fought the urge to smile. It was so childish. The kid felt so important because he could make cold cereal. A hunger pang hit him. No, he had work to do. He couldn't procrastinate with his eccentric teammate. "No." he finally said._

_The green-eyed changeling frowned. "But—you look really hungry! I mean, your voice is weak and you're leaning against the wall. Are you sick, sir?"_

_Mento hadn't even realized he was using the wall for support. Sighing, he met Beast Boy's eyes. The child looked back, unfazed by the way those light eyes seemed to burn into him. "Fine. I'll try some of yours." He said. Did his voice really sound that weak?_

_Beast Boy grinned. "I have a better idea! Wait here, Mento! Don't move!" without another word, he disappeared around the corner after placing his cereal on the floor. _

_Without an audience, Mento allowed a smile to creep across his face. Everything was always so urgent to children. He would just put down whatever he was holding to perform a new task. _

_Beast Boy returned, carrying another bowl of cereal. The adult's eyes softened with understanding. "Here. For you."_ _The child offered, smiling_.

_He took the bowl, forcing a weary nod. _

_"Let's sit down somewhere. Your room is closer than my room, sir. I'll keep you company while we eat. It's more fun to eat with family, after all. Right?"_

_"Um…right."_

_Beast Boy led him easily through the winding halls. Finally, he opened a door and switched on a light. Pulling his leader's hand, he guided Mento to the bed. They sat down, the child happily taking a spoon of what now had to be some very soggy cereal. His mentor did the same, feeling his strength return as he finally put some food into his body._

_"Yours is with soy milk too. Is that Ok?"_

_He looked at Beast Boy, whose face was concerned. "Yeah. It's fine this way."_

_Relived, he nodded and turned back to his own food. "So… when are you going to go to sleep?"_

_"Whenever I can finish my work. I've got to figure out what the connection between these recent crimes is."_

_"Is it so important you can't sleep?"_

_"It may be."_

_"Oh." Beast Boy fell silent. There was only the clink of spoons against glass bowls for a few minutes. When both teammates were finished, Beast Boy hopped off the bed, but held up his hand when Mento tried to do the same. "While you're here, get some rest." He suggested._

_"I'd love to, but I really can't." Mento answered levelly._

_"Ok…let's make a deal." The child offered._

_"Garfield, there's no deals. I need to get back to work—"_

_"Oh, c'mon! It'll be a test of your will."_

_Rolling his eyes, the blue-eyed man agreed. It was comply, or be pestered by this nocturnal pest until sunrise. "Fine."_

_Beast Boy smiled jovially. "Here's the deal: I'll tell a story. If you can stay awake by the time I reach 'the end,' then you can go back to work. But if you fall asleep, you have to take it easy for the rest of tomorrow. Me and Larry can work for you. And I can make more cereal."_

_Mento raised and eyebrow at the stupidity of the rules. "Ok. That's Larry and I, by the way. What story will you tell?"_

_"Um… _The Child of the Forest._ Rita taught it to me. It's my favorite story ever. You'll like it too. Now make yourself more comfortable." He ordered, plopping himself down on the floor beside the bed and crossing his legs. Mento laid down, propping his head up with his arm and watching the child as he began his tale._

_"Ok. It goes… 'Once upon a time, there was a beautiful forest. In that forest, there lived magical creatures like fairies and gnomes and…'"_

_Mento never did hear the end of the story. He drifted off to sleep, listening to the soothing tone in his son's voice. _

_Once Beast Boy was sure his father was asleep, he decided to cut his story short. "And they all lived happily ever after. The End.' I hope you liked it." Without another word, he took both bowls and drifted out of the room, smiling at Mento, but not bothering to wake him and tell him he lost the deal. He'd figure that out in the morning anyway. _

Beep Beep Beep.

Mento's head snapped up. He let out a gasp. How long had he been asleep? He had simply been reminiscing. The computer screen flashed, telling him he had a message. Hitting a button, a familiar face appeared.

"HEY, MENTO!"

"Hey, Beast Boy."

How ironic. He had just been thinking about—

"Ok, so we're actually in France right now. It turns out this weirdo villain had some weapon technology, and I was wondering if you— hold on."

He turned away from the screen, presumably to speak to a fellow Teen Titan. When he returned to the screen, his face was distressed. "Oh, man, Mento. I am so sorry! I had no idea what time it was back in America! My bad! Cy just told me—"

Mento shrugged. "Don't worry. I was up anyway."

"Yeah. Wait, why?"

"Eh. Just work and stuff."

Beast Boy frowned. "Oh. Hey, I have to get in the T-ship now. We're going home. Boring ride, though. Wanna talk while I'm traveling? I mean, if you're not too busy."

"Sure. I'm not that busy."

"Ok! Well, I have very little updates. I could tell a story! Like Rita used to tell me, for old times sake, Ok?

"Uh-huh." Mento was rapidly loosing resolve. The corners of his vision were becoming dark.

"What story should I tell?" the teen mused.

"What about… The Child of the Forest?" Mento asked.

Beast Boy's face lit up. "Yes! That was my favorite!" he exclaimed.

"Mine too."

"Ok. So once upon a time, there was a beautiful forest…"

Mento smiled softly and rested his head in his hands. Beast Boy didn't mind when his eyes closed, and continued to tell the story even after he knew his father had fallen asleep.

The End

Please Review! Did you like it? I always thought there was more to Mento than meets the eye, but the show and then comic were cancelled before they could put him in it much. (Tears) I hope you enjoyed it. :)


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Teen Titans… and 400 llamas. XDDD

Yeah…it was a oneshot, but I wanted to keep going because so many people inspired me. (I luvs u guys!) So, yeah… more B.B. & Mento!

**This takes place the day after Midnight Cereal occurs. The whole flashback thing.**

It was mid morning when Mento awoke. The sunlight that now streamed in through the un-shaded windows was blinding. He rose slowly and hesitantly. Something felt wrong. Last night, he had been working in the control room. This was not the control room. So how…?

"Beast Boy."

The simple name brought realization onto him. That immature, unfocused child had distracted him. Nonetheless, he couldn't feel to angry at the smallest member of his team. Maybe it was the fact he had gotten some much-needed sleep, but he wasn't in the mood to be angry.

Still groggy, but hardly as dizzy as he had been last night, Mento made his way through the winding halls of his house until he reached the living room. As expected, Beast Boy sat, screw driver in hand (presumably stolen from Cliff while his back was turned), and de-constructing a toy car. Hearing footsteps, the child looked up and the second he saw who it was, his face lit up.

"Mento! Hi, sir! Guess what? I have awesome news! Rita, she—she promised me that when she goes to town, she's going to stop by the bookstore and see if she can buy a storybook. But not the kind she already has…a cool one with traditional stories from around the world—and Africa! I remember some, but not many, so it's good I'll be able to remember more—"

"You talk far to fast for this early in the morning." The adult cut him off. Beast Boy spoke about a thousand words a minute, and just listening to him could wear anyone out.

"Sorry." He piped. Then, "it's not that early. But OK. Whatever you say. Didja sleep well? You still look sleepy. I can make you breakfast. We both like cereal. I'll make you some." By now he had risen from the middle of the floor and grabbed his father's hand. He began tugging his arm, leading him towards the kitchen. The bright smile never left his green face. "C'mon, Mento, sir. I'll make us cereal!"

"No, thank you." He answered smoothly, pulling his arm out of the child's grip.

"Huh?" disappointment flitted through deep green eyes. "Why not?"

"I'm not hungry." What he should be was working. If he had eaten last night, that should be enough to tide him over until…later. He shouldn't be neglecting his research like this. A series of crimes, a criminal at large, this was important! "I have research to do today, Beast Boy."

Now, Beast Boy's expression went from disappointment to firm resolve. "Nuh-uh. You fell asleep last night. You lost. You have to rest today."

"…What?"

"Our deal. Oh, sir, if your memory is so bad, why don't you lay back down again? I think you could use it!"

"Oh, that's right. We made a deal." _What in the world was I thinking?_ "Tell you what? I'll meet you halfway. I'll have something to eat, do some research, and then nap later if I have time. Does that sound fair?"

Beast Boy shook his head. "No, no, no! I'll do your work, OK? Larry can help me. Rita too. Cliff said he was busy 'cause he had to work on the jet. It got a big hole in it last time we went to fight Mallah, remember? So he'll be busy all day, and Rita does have to buy me my book, but I'll work all day researching for you and—"

"You're doing it again."

"Doing what, Mento?"

"Speaking too fast. Breath."

"Yes, sir." (Deep Inhale) "So anyway, no new deals. Go sleep. You need it. You can even read a book if you feel up to it. You used to read all the time, but we've been busy. It must be (Another deep inhale) –It must be sad to stop doing things you like 'cause you're a grownup and you gotta work all day instead."

Mento hadn't even noticed his face had dropped as his son spoke to him. There was a sad, tired look in his eyes that confirmed Beast Boy's words. It was sad—and hard—to be a grownup at times. One look into those icy blue eyes told Beast Boy he had hit a nerve. Once again, he took Mento's hand in his own and began to lead him down the hall towards the kitchen.

"C'mon. At least drink some orange juice. It has oranges in it. Fruit is so yummy, I promise you'll like it."

"I've had it before."

"Then you know how yummy it is!"

"Garfield, I understand that this is a very fun game to you, but life is demanding for a superhero. Someday, you'll understand that." The last part made Mento upset. He didn't want Beast Boy's spirit to be broken someday. He could see it, his precious adopted son, overworked and stressed, wishing someone could help him, wishing someone would take the weight off his shoulders…_Like I feel now._ The words drifted through his head and made him shudder. No. That was ridiculous.

As they entered the kitchen, the two ran into Larry who was walking out.

"Larrrr-eeeeeeeey!"

"Oh! Hey, green bean. Steve…you're up. Good afternoon."

Mento narrowed his eyes. "Ha, ha. Larry, I'm glad we ran into you. Maybe you can speak some sense into Gar here. He has this silly notion that he can order me around for the day—"

"NO!" Beast Boy countered, voice raising. "Larry, Larry! We've gotta help Mento today! Last night, it was super-late but I couldn't sleep so I got cereal 'cause it's yummy and helps me sleep and I saw Mento and he was super tired, so we had cereal together. Then, since Mento was still tired, I convinced him to make a deal with me. I told him a story and he fell asleep before I got to 'The End.' So today, he needs to stay in bed. You can help me research, can't you? Tell Mento he's wrong!!"

He was back to speaking fast without breathing.

Larry listened without interrupting. When Beast Boy was finished, he remained silent for a few more seconds, processing the information and mulling it over in his head. Finally, he looked at his leader.

"Well, it sounds to me like you two had a fair deal. Gar won, you lost. Take it easy, today. You're stressed out over those robberies, right? I'll see what I can do. At this point, Steve, you're only hurting yourself." He almost smiled. "Don't be so stubborn." He bonked his friend in the head playfully. For the first time, Mento realized his hat wasn't on. Seeing no point in wearing it, he removed his mask and ran a hand through his hair.

"I…still think this entire thing is juvenile." He made a point of saying.

Larry shrugged nonchalantly. "So what if it is?" he droned in his mellow tone. "Learn to kick back. You sound like my grandpa and you're not even that old."

Beast Boy giggled. "Grandpa…"

Rolling his eyes, Mento nodded. "Congratulations, Garfield Logan. You win."

Beast Boy jumped up and hugged his father tightly. "That means I'm making cereal." It wasn't an offer. It was a statement.

--

"I suppose it does."

The leader of the Doom Patrol was so engrossed in the novel he was reading, he didn't even hear his two teammates enter his room.

"Mento! Sir! Sir! Lookie! Lookie what we found!"

Jumping, Mento felt the corners of his lips betray him as they curved into a smile. Beast Boy lunged onto the bed, bouncing up and down and nearly knocking the book onto the floor. Larry walked in calmly, handing over a stack of paper.

"You were researching what the criminals were taking and what they had in common. The answer is not much. Look earlier into the day of each robbery. One common thing was scene around town. A tall, dark-haired woman with blue eyes."

"Madam Rouge."

"Now you got it. Tomorrow, I promise. We'll find her. But for now, build up your strength."

"Thanks, Larry. And Gar. It means a lot to me." For a moment, the mummy looked taken back by his leader's sincerity. Then, he smiled warmly.

"Hey, don't mention it. Really." Without another word, he left the room, still smiling.

Beast Boy remained, twirling a loose thread of cloth from his mask. He looked at Mento curiously.

"Anything else you need, sir?"

"No, please, I can get it myself. Actually…just answer me a question, OK?"

Beast Boy nodded and smiled. "I can do that!"

"Why…do you worry so much about others? Helping me like this…I don't understand. No one else ever bothered before. But you…you're so perceptive. And you're just a kid. Explain your mindset."

"I don't know what you mean." Beast Boy admitted, giggling like any child would if genuinely perplexed. "But, I can tell you one thing. I helped you 'cause you need help sometimes. But the thing is, I don't think you know how to ask for it. Everyone needs help sometimes to lift some weight off their shoulders. It was like I could see the weight on yours. And Mento, you had already collapsed. The weight was crushing you. And you still couldn't ask for help. Cause you didn't know how. Everyone needs help sometimes, and you're Mento…what else am I gonna do? You're like my dad…only different. In a good way." This time, he spoke calmly and slowly. He laughed at the last part. "I'm sorry if that didn't make much sense…but it did to me."

"No. I understood."

"Yeah. You're smart like that." The child agreed. He hopped off the bed.

"Wait—before you go…" Mento had no idea what to say. Something…anything… "Thanks. And…if you ever feel like you're being weighed down, call me for help. I'll be there."

_Wow. That was so stupid._

Beast Boy's eyes seemed to glow. "OK! Thanks, Mento! You can be nice, I never knew that. Anyway, see ya later!"

He practically skipped out of the room.

Mento found the page in his book. "Nice…never knew that…what's that supposed to mean?" he was just murmuring to himself, really. He paused and smiled down at the page he was on.

_Feeling hopeless, wishing the weight could be taken off my shoulders. That's where my team comes in. And I'll return that. I promise._

Well, I guess I'll end it there for real this time. Thank you for supporting my story and if you like the whole epilogue thingy, tell me! It was a lot of fun to type... of the top of my head.


End file.
